Trading iPods for AK-47s

An iPod is not a conventional safety device. But for Fearless Charities, a new group comprised of IU students and alumni, Apple's MP3 player can make the difference between a shooting and a dance-off on the streets of Somalia.\nThe group began its philanthropic missions last August with the intention of going to places others were too scared to trek. One of its main charities is "iPods for Guns," an attempt to give iPods to gun-holders in Somalia in exchange for their weapons.\n"We go to the most desperate places you can find in the world, where other agencies won't go because it's too risky for their employees," founder Chris VanDuyne said. "We get information from other aide agencies and ask people where they haven't delivered (supplies) yet."\nThe 24-year-old graduated in August from IU with a degree in criminal justice and an honors degree in economics. The group started as five friends who "wanted to see the world and help people," VanDuyne said. In December, the group was approved by Indiana's Secretary of State, Todd Rokita, and became its own official corporation. Fearless now has 15 IU students in its humanitarian team, though only three people go on a trip at one time.\nMembers of the group just got back Jan. 28 from a trip to Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia. In 17 days, they were able to set up 16 charities and spent nearly $3,000 on aid. This money went toward the purchasing of 136 mosquito nets and thousands of cholera tablets, as well as a few iPods.\nThe advantage of Fearless is its willingness and ability to travel to regions where most agencies are at risk or being turned down. According to the New York Times, the most recent UN human rights mission to Darfur was canceled Wednesday after the Sudanese government refused to give them visas to enter the country. Fearless, on the other hand, plans to visit the nation within the next two months, and could be going as soon as next week, though the process isn't always the easiest, VanDuyne said.\n"If you fly in, you can bribe your way in," VanDuyne said. "They told us to pretend we were journalists ... Everybody does it."\nPart of the magic is simply putting up with what might happen in such dangerous regions.\n"We're okay with getting shot at," VanDuyne said. "The UN has insurance companies to be aware of ... they don't want to risk their lives."\nClearly this risk serves as a dividing line between Fearless Charities and other agencies.\n"We are willing to go to places no one goes," sophomore Publicity Director Courtney Hugger said. "That's what's getting our name out and getting us power and money to expand."\nBut the notion of fear is one that stays with the travelers despite their good deeds, VanDuyne said.\n"When we first landed in Somalia, we got a taxi cab to leave the airport and a mile and a half down the road we got shot at," VanDuyne said. "The taxi driver freaked out, turned around and charged us $20 even though he took us nowhere."\nStill, the aides continued their mission and went on to provide support and help for the people of Somalia.\nOn a Fearless mission, the organization will contact humanitarian agencies and simply ask them where they're not going. As soon as enough money is raised, primarily through the group's Web site, three members will travel to a region in desperate need of their services. All supplies are bought in these foreign countries in order to be cost-effective. Though some destinations cannot be determined until they reach the region due to visa issues, the group always knows their initial step will not be denied.\n"We always know that we're going to be able to get into the first country," VanDuyne said. "When you first get over there, there's about an eight-hour process to find out what visas we'll be able to get, what supplies we'll get, where we can go."\nFearless operates solely off of its Web Site, www.thefearlessamerican.org, where the group collects donations and promotes its cause. The finances, however, are what separate it from other charities. \n"If you give a dollar to the Red Cross, only 92 cents are going to the cause and the other eight go to pay their employees," VanDuyne said. "We have a 100 percent scheme. When you donate $7.50 on the Web site, you spend $7.50 on a mosquito net or whatever we need."\nHugger, a nonprofit management major and member of the seven-person Fearless Charities board of directors, is in charge of getting the word out to encourage donations and awareness, using such avenues as a fundraising party hosted last weekend. Since December, the group has raised about $8,000 in donations, she said. To her, the charity has a special appeal.\n"We're able to help people in ways these people have never been helped before," Hugger said. "Knowing that I can make a difference really makes me want to make a difference."\nHugger hopes to expand Fearless beyond IU and get other universities across the nation involved. In the meantime, this is simply an act to help those in need, she said.\n"If you have more resources than someone else, (philanthropy) is using that to make a difference in people's lives who need it."\nThough the problems may seem too large to fix at the moment, VanDuyne never loses faith in the power of Fearless' work.\n"You know that with the big problems you can't solve it but you change little things so that someone in the future can," VanDuyne said. "For our organization, it's about risking more or giving more for helping others. I think it's about sacrifice. If you're not doing something risky, you're giving your time or money"